Thinking Flashcards
Concepts
A mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
Cognition
The mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Prototypes
A mental image or best example of a category. Matching new items to the prototype provides a quick and easy method for including items in a category.
Algorithm
A methodical logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem– often a slower process + takes more time
Heuristic
A simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgements and solve problems efficiently- often a faster process but more error prone
Insight
A sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem; contrasts with strategy based solutions.
Confirmation Bias
A tendency to search for information that confirms ones preconceptions
Fixation
The ability to see a problem from a new perspective; an impediment to problem solving
Mental Set
A tendency to approach a problem in a particular way that has been successful in the past
Functional Fixedness
The tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem solving
Representativeness Heuristic
Judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well they seem to represent or match particular prototypes: leads one to ignore other relevant information
Availability Heuristic
Estimating the likelihood of events based on their availability in memory. If instances come readily to mind, we assume they are common
Overconfidence
To overestimate the accuracy of ones beliefs and judgements
Framing
How an issue is framed can significantly affect decisions and judgements
Belief Bias
The tendency for ones pre-existing beliefs to distort logical reasoning, sometimes by making invalid things seem valid or valid things seem invalid
